The EXB news briefing: November 15, 2018

A weekly round-up of news stories that piqued our interest or made us scratch our heads.

Still storming Rigaer Str. The police raided four housing projects on Rigaer Straße, and three others in Neukölln, Kreuzberg and Friedrichshain, early on Thursday morning. 560 police were deployed (helicopter included!) and were on the lookout for the attackers who seriously injured a Späti owner last May in Kreuzberg. They ended up arresting four suspects in relation to the assault. That’s a whole lot of police for not a whole lot of suspects.

A Christmas fortress It’s been two years since the terrorist attack hit Breitscheidplatz, and extra precautions are now being placed in preparation for the famous Christmas market (it opens on November 26). From November 19, whole sections and streets near Breitscheidplatz will be closed off to regular traffic. BVG buses, delivery traffic and cyclists between Bahnhof Zoo and Olof-Palme-Platz will be the only ones allowed in. Make sure to check your driving route, or you may encounter a concrete Christmas present.

It’s Kita timeMore Kita-space has finally opened up, after circa 30,000 children moved on from daycare centres to primary schools. Currently there are 9400 slots still available in Kitas around town. A likely relief on Tuesday for the thousands of parents who had taken to the streets in May, asking for more spots and shorter waiting times in Kitas. However, there is still a shortage in larger districts such as Pankow and Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg. Hopefully the Kita-Navigator, an app that shows available spots in different Kindergartens to be launched in early 2019, will help parents to get rid of their kids during daytime sooner. Our advice... plan before you conceive.

Sunday stroll On Sunday morning, the Ordungsamt and police cleared out a quarter of the Wedding flea market at Markstraße and confiscated large amounts of counterfeit and stolen goods. This was part of the weekly flea market controls by the Reinickendorf and Wedding police, in which they also target minor violations like selling commercial goods and R-rated videos. The fine that the vendors receive is specific to each case, but doubles every time they’re caught.